The effect of distance and direction of needle cannulation on the recirculation of arteriovenous fistula: A clinical trial

One of the important issues that affects the quality of hemodialysis is recirculation. Some researchers have suggested that the direction and distance of needle cannulation can affect the amount of recirculation. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of direction and distance of needle cannulation on recirculating of arteriovenous fistula in hemodialysis patients. Methods & Materials: This clinical trial was performed on patients referred to the dialysis ward of Kamkar-Arabnia hospital affiliated to Qom University of Medical Sciences in 2016. The amount of recirculation was measured in 22 patients by urea based method, in four consecutive sessions. In each session, the distance and direction of the needles were three centimeters in opposite direction, three centimeters in same direction, six centimeters in opposite direction, and six centimeters in same direction. Data were analyzed using Stata and GEE test. The average age of participants was 53(16±0.75) years. In 41 dialysis cases (out of 88), the amount of recirculation was higher than 10%. The odds ratio for more than 10% recirculation for a distance of three centimeters compared to six centimeters was 2.05 (1.07-3.93) and for same direction compared to opposite direction was 1.98 (1.03-3.78). The results of this study showed that the insertion of needles at a distance of six centimeters in opposite position had the lowest chance of recirculation. Therefore, the attention to proper insertion of needles can be effective in reducing recirculation and increasing the quality of dialysis.